Air Trubbles
by Ursa Minor
Summary: Sandy recovers from a deep emotional slump by creating a device that will make her days spent under water much better. However when the invention malfunctions causing Sandy to nearly drown, she begins to rethink the hazards of living underwater.
1. Chp 1 Marine with Envy

**A/N:** Hey! This is my first attempt at a Spongebob fic so I hope you guys will read and enjoy. R&R but no spammers or flames please. Constructive criticism is welcome. Please know the difference between a flame and a critique!!

**Warning!** May contain mild SpongeXSandy

**Guaranteed free of:** Gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, Mary-Sues, slash, femmslash, Canon-sues, Marty-Stus, and oc/canon pairings

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Spongebob Squarepants. He belongs to Mr. Hillenburg, Nick, and all that good stuff

**Chapter 1- Marine With Envy**

A low sigh emitted from the throat of a small tawny squirrel, her face pressed against the surface of her plexiglass home.

"Ah the ocean…", she sighed. "So beautiful yet so unforgiving to those who don't belong."

Sandra Cheeks had been a resident of Bikini Bottom for several years now and a day had not gone by that she had not envied the aquatic inhabitants for being blessed with the ability to breathe underwater.

Sandy pressed her face harder against the dome wall, clamping her eyes shut and feeling the cool plastic on her fur. She loved residing in Bikini Bottom and she loved being a squirrel but the two did not blend so well. Although she had a protective suit, it was limited, and in many cases, inconvenient. It was impossible to stay outside of her Treedome for extended periods of time before the Carbon Dioxide levels would build up in her helmet to a hazardous level. Equally important was the increased risk of nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness, side effects of breathing air under pressure. To this day she had not gotten the luxury of eating a krabby patty in the Krusty Krab, the most popular eatery in Bikini Bottom. It would always have to be ordered to-go, to be eaten later when she reached the safety of her air-filled home. Sandy exhaled in another deep breath of despair. Evolution could be so cruel.

"It's a shame land-bound critters couldn't have the best of both worlds," she thought.

A soft distant thud brought the squirrel out of her deep thoughts. What was that? Had she forgotten to shut her nutuccino machine off again? Another thud was heard, louder than the first and this time she got up to investigate. Almost immediately she understood what it was and laughed softly to herself.

"Duh!" the squirrel exclaimed. "I'm too busy daydreaming to answer my own door."

She scurried to the front of her dome. "Coming!" she shouted.

A buzzer was heard on the opposite side of the water-tight metallic door accompanied by the sound of water draining. Sandy opened the door to a smiling yellow sponge.

"Howdy Spongebob."

"Hey Sandy," he replied adjusting a large glass water-filled helmet on his head. "Is everything alright? I hope I didn't come at a bad time."

"No, no," said Sandy. "I suppose I was just too absorbed into my thoughts is all."

"Thinking of new inventions?"

"No, Spongebob…"

"Texas?"

"No,"

"Is it time to hibernate already?"

"No!"

"Your Treedome needs fixing up?"

"NO!"

"Karate?"

"Look Spongebob, don't you have work or something?" said Sandy, her patience waning fast.

"Oh my gosh, you're right Sandy! Mr. Krabs will have my spatula if I'm late."

Sandy Cheeks breathed a subtle sigh of relief. All she wanted right now was a day to herself.

"Say Sandy…" began Spongebob. "Would you like to walk over to the Krusty Krab with me?"

Sandy bit her lip tenderly. She could never stay angry with the little poriferan for too long. "No thanks Spongebob. Guess I'm just not feeling quite like myself today. Besides, you'd be late for work by the time I got suited up."

"Ok Sandy," said Spongebob solemnly. "You should stop by the Krusty Krab later. Nothing cheers me up like a fresh Krabby Patty."

"Yeah," said the squirrel thinking that the sandwich wouldn't be fresh by the time she got back to her Treedome.

"Seeya later,"

"Bye Spongebob,"

Sandy leaned against the plastic enclosure, allowing her back to slide down the wall. Spongebob Squarepants was the sweetest, kindest person Sandy knew in Bikini Bottom but he just didn't understand.

* * *

"I wonder what Sandy's so upset about?" said Spongebob aloud as he trudged off towards the Krusty Krab. "She probably thinks I'm a barnacle-head. I should do something special for her." Spongebob brightened. That was it! He would throw a surprise party for her at her Treedome. "Hmm, maybe a small gathering of friends would be better," he thought. "She doesn't seem to be in much of a party mood."

Maybe he'd write her a poem. But he was far too shy to admit his true feelings for her. He lifted his head just in time to avoid a collision with the glass doors of the Krusty Krab. Pushing open the twin doors, he stepped inside.

"Spongebob! What in Neptune's name kept ya!"

Spongebob glanced at his watch. "But Mr. Krabs, I'm ten minutes early!"

"Yes, me boy but I'm used to seeing you here 30 minutes early."

"Sorry Mr. Krabs. I'm trying to find a way to cheer up Sandy."

"Ah, the air-breather," said the red crustacean. "I think yer overthinking it Spongebob."

"What do you mean?" asked Spongebob, quizzically.

"Well….you know women." began Mr. Krabs. "Specially, when it's their…" he twisted his claws awkwardly. "….you know."

Spongebob was puzzled. "No Mr. Krabs. What are you talking about?"

"Well, you know…" said Mr. Krabs leaning closer and lowering his voice. "…their time of the month."

"Wow, Mr. K! I never knew that girls picked a certain time of the month to be upset. Do they set their alarm clocks for it?"

The crab scowled. "No! It's a natural thing females go through and use it as a reason for why they're cranky, moody, sensitive, and depressed. Geez boy. Didn't yer father ever teach you about the scallops and the jellyfish?"

Eugene Krabs inhaled deeply as he tried to regain his composure. He heard a customer clear their throat sharply. Wheeling around, the crustacean found himself staring at dozens of scowling females. Krabs chuckled nervously as he fumbled with his shirt collar.

"Ladies, it was just a figure of speech."

The women hissed angrily as they stormed out of the restaurant, leaving their male companions looking dazed and confused

"Spongebob!" snapped Mr. Krabs. "You're losing me customers boy! Put yer problems behind ya and make some patties!"

"Aye, Aye sir!"

**A/N:** Chp. 2 up soon! Please read!


	2. Chp 2 Squirrel of the Sea

**A/N:** Hello! Welcome to chp. 2! I thank everyone who has read and reviewed! You guys are so sweet! Thanks so much for reading.

-Ursa

**Chapter 2: Squirrel of the Sea**

Sandy went to bed feeling guilty and even more depressed. That night she had a dream; an intensely vivid one that made her long for gills even more. She dreamed that she had traded her lungs in exchange for gills. She could do things that she had previously only fantasized about. Spongebob was there. He took her by the hand and they went jellyfishing. Then they ate a krabby patty at the Krusty Krab. At the end of the day, Spongebob firmly grasped her hands and gently kissed her on the cheek. Then her dream ended.

* * *

Sandy blew her tender nose. She had been crying for hours now. The thought had crossed her mind several times. What if she was getting too attached to her aquatic home or worse maybe obsessed? The squirrel tossed the used tissue she was holding and reached for another one. She frowned realizing the tissue box was empty. Sighing, she stretched out her legs. She had been sitting for so long that her limbs had gone numb. Clumsily, she stumbled to the bathroom to retrieve another box of tissues. Sandy stared at her reflection in the bathroom. She was such a mess she didn't even recognize herself. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot from weeping. The fur on her face was matted in various places, a mixture of tears and phlegm. Her nose was inflamed and now a very deep shade of pink. Gently, she turned the faucet on, letting the water reach a comfortable temperature. Cupping her hands, she repeatedly splashed the warm water on her face. She grabbed a towel and patted her damp face.

A soft knock at the door startled her. Sandy's body went rigid. Who could it be? As Sandy descended the stairs from her massive oak tree she imagined that it could only be one person, Spongebob. He was the only person who would periodically visit her uninvited. Dabbing her moist eyes and carefully stowing the boxes she had begun to pack, Sandy rushed to answer the door.

* * *

The yellow sponge couldn't keep from grinning as Sandy opened the door. He had been up all night preparing the surprise for his friend. In one hand he clutched his ukulele, in the other a piece of paper that contained words straight from his heart and soul. Behind him stood Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Larry, Patrick, Mrs. Puff, and Pearl.

His best friend Patrick Star tapped his porous friend on the shoulder. "Ready?" the starfish asked.

"I'm ready!" whispered Spongebob.

The door clicked open and the parade of marine animals stepped in, led by Spongebob. "Surprise!" everyone shouted. "Happy 'Feel Better Day' Sandy!"

Sandy gasped, stumbling backwards.

"Sandra," began Spongebob. "There comes a time in every sponge's life when he just needs to express himself. In the form of song of course." He began strumming his ukulele as he cleared his throat.

"Squirrel of the sea, oh how much you mean to me

Sandra Cheeks, you make Bikini Bottom click

You know it's true so please don't be blue,

Sweet squirrel of the sea

Fly to the moon?

Oh don't swoon, because Sandy's already done it

Shrink a ship to retrieve Squidward's clarinet tip

Defy the odds, that's Sandy's job

Oh squirrel of the sea

Please don't mind me

I'll admire from afar

Sweet squirrel of the sea

You mean so much to me

Oh squirrel of the sea"

Sandy stood frozen in place, wide-eyed and unable to form words.

"Spongebob, that was beautiful!" gushed Pearl.

"So, uhhh…did you like it Sandy?" spoke Spongebob shyly.

She grinned, still fumbling for audible speech and hugged the sponge. Spongebob felt his face grow warm. They parted and he noticed that the squirrel's furry cheeks were moist.

"Spongebob…," Sandy started. "I don't know how to thank you…"

The yellow poriferin halted her. "That's not necessary Sandy. I've done my part. It's good to see you smile again."

"We've almost forgotten about the gifts!" shouted Larry.

"Gifts?" asked Sandy, finding it increasingly more difficult to restrain her tears.

"Wow! I must have forgotten today was my birthday!" said Patrick.

"No Patrick," said Spongebob. "They're for Sandy, remember?"

"Guys, you really didn't have to." Said Sandy. "Ya'll being here is a gift eno-"

"We knew we don't have to," interjected Larry. "But we wanted to."

Sandy smiled again but on the inside she was a chaotic, emotional stew. Every time she felt depressed or unsure, Spongebob would never cease to follow through with some elaborate scheme and keep Sandy in Bikini Bottom. But it wouldn't, it couldn't work this time. She was getting far too close to them, especially to him. Sandy decided. She would depart tomorrow on the last bus of the evening.

* * *

It was approaching dusk as her dear aquatic amigos began to filter out of her Treedome. They all gave a quick friendly hug before they departed, even Squidward much to the squirrel's surprise. Spongebob was the last one remaining. He lingered behind after the others had left. Sandy silently wished he would go.

"Sandy, he began. " I just wanted you to know…" he shuffled his feet. "…that all of the words in that song I wrote you, are true. You've done so much for me." He became momentarily quiet, becoming seemingly interested in a particular blade of grass on Sandy's lawn. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm so lucky to have a friend like you."

Sandy bit her lip, desperately choking back the tears. _Leave Sponge. Please go._

"I know," was all she managed to say.

"Well it's getting late," said Spongebob. "I should be getting home to Gary. Good night Sandy."

"Goodnight Spongebob."

He hugged her tightly before he exited. _Goodbye Spongebob. _As soon as the door clicked shut and Spongebob was out of sight a waterfall of tears rushed.

* * *

Sandy had a rough time falling asleep that night. All she could concentrate on was all the things she was going to miss from Bikini Bottom. The good times, the bad times, the laughs she shared, but most importantly she would miss her friends.

_Goodbye Bikini Bottom and goodbye ocean_. The squirrel opened a drawer beside her bed and withdrew the lyrics to the song Spongebob had written for her.

'…defy the odds, that's Sandy's job…'

Sandy hugged the paper tightly to her chest. "Oh, Spongebob. If only things could have been different…"


	3. Chp 3 A Ray of White Tide

Chapter 3- A Ray of White Tide

That night, Sandy had another dream. She was crying as everything began to swirl around her in a massive vortex. Out of the vortex came a familiar voice.

"Why are you crying Sandy?" A massive yellow sponge floated above her.

"Oh Spongebob," Sandy sobbed. "I'm crying because I want so badly to be able to breath without this suit. I want to do all the things you sea critters take for granted."

The gargantuan sponge grinned, his huge buck teeth showing and his immense sapphire eyes sparkling. "You silly squirrel," He pulled out his ukulele and began to sing, "…Defy the odds, that's Sandy's job…" He smiled wider and winked. "Go Sandy. Go defy the odds."

"Huh?"

Giant Spongebob disappeared as the vortex swirled faster and faster. She lost her coordination and plummeted downward. She began to fall, her stomach feeling as if it were doing gymnastics. Without warning her body slammed against a hard surface.

Sandy awoke with a jolt. Her breathing was quick and her pulse rapid. The hairs on the back of her neck were thick with cold sweat. 'Go defy the odds.' The phrase still rung in her head. Pulling her sheets off, Sandy sprinted from her bedroom and descended from her tree without really knowing what she was actually doing.

"What a crazy dream," she thought as she wrenched the door open to her workshop. Flipping the light switch, she stepped inside. The tables were cluttered with schematics and blueprints from past and current inventions. Parts of machines and devices lay on the table, some fully assembled, other still in the early stages of development. Sandy frowned. Since when did she become so disorganized? She didn't have time to straighten out this mess now. She pushed a heaping pile of schematics to the floor creating a large open space to work. Glancing at the atomic clock on her wall she chuckled. It read 2:473987465. But she was far too awake for sleep.

"Where is it? Where is it?" thought Sandy irritably as she rummaged her way through the file cabinets. Her face brightened as she pulled out a large laminated diagram of piscine physiology.

"Defy the odds," she repeated. "If I can fly to the moon and back, I can surely do this."

* * *

Spongebob couldn't help grinning as he skipped to work that morning. "You did it Spongebob," he said proudly. He hadn't seen Sandy that happy in a great while.

The sponge quickened his pace as he spotted a pale aquamarine figure in front of him. "Squidward! Hey Squidward!"

The octopus turned around, a scowl on his face. "What do you want Spongebob?"

"Oh Squid, it was amazing! You should have seen her face!" said Spongebob placing a hand on his neighbor's left tentacle.

"Uh, Spongebob, this touching thing has got to stop!"

"Sorry Squid," said Spongebob. "But oh, you should have been there." He finished, wiping a tear from his eye.

"What are you talking about you barnacle-brain! I was there!" yelled Squidward. "Don't you remember? You only begged me to go for five hours!"

"Oh yeah!" said Spongebob, the realization dawning on him.

"Now can't the rest of this wait until later? I have to start wor-" Squidward paused imagining his ten hour work shift on the cash register. Ten hours of complaining customers, handling filthy money, and Spongebob's annoying frycook optimism. "On second thought Spongebob, keep on talking."

"I'm done Squidward."

"What! You can't be done. Tell me more about yesterday!"

"Oh you know all about yesterday. You were there. Don't you remember?"

"Yeah, but…but…" stammered Squidward.

"See you at work!" said Spongebob cheerfully, walking into the Krusty Krab.

Squidward angrily kicked a scallop shell before storming into the restaurant.

* * *

Sandy wearily lifted her head. Dazed, she sleepily glanced around. She was still in her lab. Lab! She jerked awake. What time was it? How long had she been asleep? She glanced at her atomic clock. 13:058347882. 1 p.m.! She'd been asleep longer than she hoped. Suddenly, her mind hit a brick wall in its road of thought. The project! She'd been working all night on it. Scrambling to her work bench, she admired her handiwork. The only question was why hadn't she thought of this sooner? If this worked, something once only imaginable in a dream could now be reality. She banished the fantasies from her mind and refocused them on the task at hand.

"Now comes the fun part," said Sandy, adjusting the elastic band on a pair of safety goggles. "Trial and Error."

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys! This chapter was a bit short. Thanks again for your wonderful reviews. You really made my day! I'll try as best as I can to continue updating consistently. I'm currently working on two other stories simultaneously. Thanks again for reading!


	4. Chp 4 To Air is Foe

**A/N:** Hello fellow Spongebob fans. Once again, I would like to thank everyone for reviewing. It really means a lot that you're taking the time to read my fic.

This is my favorite chapter btw so please let me know if you like it!

This may be my last update for a while. I'm starting my summer internship this weekend in another state so I'll be busy for a while.

Anyways take care and enjoy!

**Chapter 4: To Air is Foe**

Spongebob began to worry about Sandy again. He hadn't seen or heard from her in five days. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her since the day he surprised her at her Treedome.

"You're probably just being paranoid Spongebob," he thought to himself.

Still, it couldn't hurt to stop by her Treedome after his shift was done.

7:00 p.m. couldn't seem to come fast enough. For once in his life, Spongebob couldn't wait to leave the Krusty Krab. He frantically checked the clock in between his patty making.

"Bun…clock…patty…clock…cheese…clock…lettuce…clock…tomato…clock…onions…clock…pickles…clock…bun…"

Unfortunately this slowed him down considerably and an angry crowd had begun to gather around the cash register.

"Hey I paid already! Where's my food?"

"My lunch break ends in five minutes! I want my krabby patty now!"

"I thought this was supposed to be FAST FOOD!"

Squidward Tentacles slowly began to step back until he felt his body hit the wall. "Now people," he began nervously. "Let's act civilized…"

"Hey everyone," said a green fish with purple fins. "Let's take out our hunger-induced rage on that squid guy."

"Yeah!" everyone shouted.

"Actually," said Squidward. "I'm an octo-WHAT!?"

The irate customers began knocking over tables and chairs as they approached Squidward.

Just then, Eugene Krabs emerged from his office. "Mr. Squidward! What's going on here?"

"Oh thank Neptune Mr. Krabs! It's Spongebob. He's taking forever to make the krabby patties."

"…lettuce…clock…tomato…clock…" muttered Spongebob.

"Spongebob!" yelled, Mr. Krabs, irritably.

The sponge jerked upright. "Yes, Mr. Krabs?"

"In my office now! Hurry it up lad!"

"Sure thing Mr. K!"

Squidward was horrified as he watched both Mr. Krabs and Spongebob enter their employer's office. "But Mr. Krabs! What about the customers?"

"I'll be with you shortly Mr. Squidward!" replied the crab, curtly.

The office door slammed shut. Squidward gulped. "I don't get paid enough," he mumbled.

Inside the office, Spongebob nervously took a seat in front of Mr. Krabs.

"Oh Mr. Krabs! I know why I'm here! You're going to fire me aren't you?"

"Spongebob…no,"

"Oh, ok. Well then you're here to tell me my customer service is poor! I'm sorry I didn't greet that customer last month sir! I remember that day all too well! It was a Wednesday!"

Eugene sighed. "Spongebob?"

"I promise I won't let it happen again!"

"Uh, Spongebob?"

"Just please don't take my spatula away!" wailed Spongebob.

"Spongebob!" shouted Mr. Krabs. "Pull yourself together boy! And stop that whimpering!"

Spongebob stopped crying.

"All I want to know," began Eugene. "..is what's taking you so long to make those patties?"

Spongebob paused. He couldn't tell Mr. Krabs that he was worried about Sandy. He would never understand. Besides, he had used a similar excuse last week.

"Oh it's nothing Mr. Krabs."

Mr. Krabs narrowed his eyes. "Oh, it's something alright! And that something's costin me money! Now get in there and grill like the frycook you were born to be!"

"Aye, aye sir!"

"Mr. Krabs is right," thought Spongebob. "Time to focus. Hey Squidward!" he said, passing his co-worker.

Squidward screamed as the customers, who had set up volleyball net in the restaurant, served him back and forth.

"Who's hungry?" yelled Spongebob tossing trays of krabby patties around the restaurant. The customers cheered, dropping the bruised and sore Squidward onto the floor. He crawled back to his post. Much to Spongebob's surprise, time seemed to proceed much faster now.

Spongebob nearly sprinted to Sandy's Treedome after his shift had ended. When he arrived, he immediately noticed that Sandy had drawn up her dome cover, concealing her normally see-through home. She only put up the cover when she didn't wish to be disturbed. Spongebob was about to turn around when he realized that Sandy could be hurt or in danger. He decided that Sandy being angry with him was better than having done nothing if she was in trouble. Opening the first door, he stepped inside the draining area. After carefully adjusting a glass helmet filled with sea water, he hit the drain button.

He fumbled with the second door for a few seconds before it swung open on its own. Shockingly, Spongebob found himself face to face with a smiling Sandy.

"Howdy Spongebob," said the squirrel, cheerfully.

"Hi Sandy. I was just in the area making sure everything is alright. I haven't seen you in almost a week."

"Has it really been a week?" asked Sandy in astonishment. "Sorry bout that Sponge. I must've got too absorbed in my work and lost track of time. But I feel great. Never better."

"Gee Sandy, that must be some project for you to spend a whole week on!"

"Indeed it was Spongebob."

"Was? So you're finished with it?"

"Sure am. In fact all that inventing has made my legs all crampy. Why don't we go for a walk?"

"Sounds great Sandy!"

"Well off we go then," said Sandy, stepping into the drainage chamber.

"Uh Sandy," said Spongebob, lingering in Sandy's lawn. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Sandy chuckled. "No silly. We don't need anything to walk. Just our feet."

"Sandy…what I meant was you're not wearing your suit. And…well, since we're going back underwater, well you know….you need it to breathe," Spongebob was even more paranoid than before. What had happened to Sandy to make her forget important things like wearing her suit?

"Oh I don't need that old thing," said Sandy, shutting the door to her dome. Spongebob heard her swallow something and gaped in horror as she began to open the door to the ocean. He tried to stop her but it was too late. Water rushed into the chamber completely submerging it.


End file.
